WARTIME graffiti scrawled by a Herefordshire soldier has been discovered deep under the battlefields of Northern France, writes ANITA HOWELLS.

FC Lowe carved his initials in the soft chalk as he crawled through a tunnel beneath the town of Loos during the Great War.

Winforton historian Peter Weston stumbled across his message 'FC Lowe, 9th Suffolks late 1st Herefords' during a tour with two other local historians and would now like to find out more about the proud soldier and his battalion.

He has discovered that the tunnels were constructed by the British in 1916 and were used by troops as listening posts to gather information on enemy activity 15 metres above.

In August 1917 they were used to conceal 1,200 Canadian troops for two weeks in preparation for an attack at a point known as Hill 70.

"On returning to England, initial research has revealed that FC Lowe had indeed been a member of A Coy 1/1st Herefords in 1915 and would almost certainly have served with the regiment in Gallipoli where the 1/1st Battalion won great praise for its part in the Suvla Bay landings in August of that year," said Peter.

Evacuated

In December 1916, the allies decided to abandon the campaign in Gallipoli and evacuated the island.

Of the 750 Herefords who spent 18 weeks there, only 130 remained fit for duty, 64 paid the ultimate sacrifice and many, weakened by their experiences, returned home unfit for further service.

"It is known that following recovery from illness and wounds, many former Herefords went on to serve with other regiments and it is possible that this is how FC Lowe became transferred to the Suffolks," added Peter.

He believes the gallant soldier, who had so proudly declared his association to his former regiment in France, survived the war and returned to Hereford and possibly to Bullen, Ledbury.

Peter would like to complete his story and is appealing for any relatives to contact him on 01544 327008.